Recent Ponderings

By Bec
Right now, life is not ideal. It is by no means unpleasant, and yet at this period in our life, there is questioning, wondering, and seeking after wisdom. I have been reading a book by Steve Fry that has given me much to think about.

When God is Silent
“The pathway to deeper communion with God is not always a pleasant stroll through the garden of serenity…We’ve all been there: contending with difficult circumstances and seeking God for answers…for direction, for provision, for understanding…We cry out to God for an answer….
“Silence seems to breed anxiety. Yet it is precisely these anxieties that are the answers...they reveal the underlying issues, motivations, and fears that work spiritual death within us.”
Fry goes on to quote Helmut Thielicke, “Behind the silence – when God does not answer our prayers – are His higher thoughts. He is fitting stone to stone in His plan for the world and our lives…”
“Grant me the grace to receive even Your silence in the face of my questions as another expression of Your fathomless love.”

The Redeemer of Our Pain
“Paul tells the Ephesians that God chose us to be holy. Most of us don’t like the word holy - it confronts our basic bent toward selfishness and affronts our sense of esteem, suggesting we are less than we should be….The word does suggest a separation from sin and a separation unto God – but it also has to do with possessing an inner wholeness….Our society places a high premium on where we’re headed and what we achieve…But as important as finding our place is, in one sense, it is no big deal. Who we are is more important to Him that what we do.”

The Measure of His Power
“…what God does with the small things is the true measure of the greatness of His power. You are the perfect candidate through whom God can do a significant work in the world.”